The Crows feted one of their highest-profile fans, San Antonio Spurs NBA championship star Patty Mills before the game at Adelaide Oval, but in true basketball fashion they themselves were slammed dunked by the Eagles.

The insipid performance – a 31-point loss and the Eagles' 20.16 (136) score the highest of any team against the Crows this season – has again raised the question whether they are worthy finalists.

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However, once the emotion subsides, the clear messages to emerge from the upset win were that the Eagles are in good hands with Adam Simpson and are true battlers, given the fact they have a dozen players who some time ago were ruled out for the season with injuries, and Adelaide's reliance on Daniel Talia is far greater than many may have imaged.

After Adelaide had a sensational four-goal start, West Coast was magnificent in the manner in which it kept a steely resolve and wore the Crows down with its superior movement of the ball and its ability to grind its opposition with pressure.

But without taking an ounce of respect from the Eagles for this most deserving win, there was no doubt Adelaide fell to pieces when Talia copped an accidental knee to the head and was subbed off by half-time.

It meant James Podsiadly went to his centre half-back spot (and he copped a broken nose), and when Josh Jenkins relieved ruckman Sam Jacobs – who played well in his 100th game – the Crows were left with only Taylor Walker as a key target. And teammates just bombed the ball forward, while he was against two or three opponents.

The Crows whole forward structure broke down, and without Talia they lacked composure and strength in the backline. Add this to the Eagles dominating midfield and it was easy to see why the Crows were beaten so badly.

However, it was also largely about the Eagles playing more intelligent football; going inside 50 with purpose, poise and accuracy, and finding a host of players prepared to work hard to win the ball and feed each other. And when they didn’t win the ball, they made it very hard for Adelaide to rebound, causing them to turn the ball over far too easily.

No one prospered more than Eagles forward Josh Kennedy. Adelaide led by two points at three-quarter time, and as narrow as the lead was there was this genuine belief the Crows would finally get their act together and steamroll the Eagles.

Kennedy excelled at this challenge and kicked three of his hard-earned goals in an amazing last quarter by the Eagles – 6.5 to 1.2 in front of a hostile crowd, many on on mobile phones cancelling holidays in September.

The win was manufactured by so many but few worked harder and more effectively than Andrew Gaff. His midfield creation was most impressive, also thanks to a lot of support from teammates.

Among the Eagles' long list of good players was Matt Priddis, who was mainly opposed to Scott Thompson. Well, they were supposed to be alongside each other. They each gathered 31 disposals but their defensive measures left much to be desired.

However, the Eagles could afford for Priddis to run free because they had others to shut down Adelaide’s prime movers, or at least reduce their impact on the game.

As Simpson said post-match, he asked his players to be brave and play on the edge. They did just that and were duly rewarded.

Simpson also acknowledged Adelaide's six-day break, but its coach Brenton Sanderson didn't want any of that; he offered no excuses. There were reasons for Adelaide's sluggish performance - a lack of mental strength to turn things around when an inexperienced opponent just has a real dip.

There can be no excuses when, under pressure and the team desperate for a goal, a player is 40 metres out in front of goal and misses. Paddy Mills wouldn't have missed foul shots with the Spurs a few points down near the buzzer.